World's largest marine protected area declared in Antarctica

Delegates from 24 countries and the EU have agreed that the Ross Sea in Antarctica will become the world's largest marine protected area (MPA). 600,000 sq miles of Ocean will gain protection froml fishing for 35 years. Environmentalists have welcomed the move to protect Earth's most pristine marine ecosystem.

They hope it will be the first of many such zones in international waters. At this meeting in Hobart, Australia, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) agreed unanimously to designate the Ross Sea as an MPA, after years of protracted negotiations, New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully announced.

The Ross Sea, its shelf and slope only comprise 2% of the Southern Ocean but they are home to 38% of the world's Adelie penguins, 30% of the world's Antarctic petrels and around 6% of the world's population of Antarctic minke whales. The region is important to the rest of the planet as the upwelling of nutrients from the deep waters are carried on currents around the world.

The Ross Sea is also home to huge numbers of krill, a staple food for species including whales and seals. Their oil is critical for salmon farming. However there are concerns that overfishing and climate change are having significant impacts on their numbers.